


With A Little Bit of Luck

by justbygrace



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Boarding School, F/M, My Fair Lady - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2019-05-02 19:33:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14551890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justbygrace/pseuds/justbygrace
Summary: Ian Smythe finds himself in Gallifrey Academy's Spring Production of 'My Fair Lady'.





	With A Little Bit of Luck

**Author's Note:**

> I really wanted to turn this into a full-length thing, but I'm afraid that's not going to happen so hopefully you enjoy this instead.

When Ian Smythe was bored, things tended to happen. Things over which he had no control. Things like telling the various professors at Gallifrey Academy that they were mindless drones or dropping fireworks down the chimney of the girl's dormitories or reprogramming the school's computers so the only websites they accessed were robot porn. They were the sorts of pranks that would have gotten him kicked out years ago, but the annual fat donations Ian Smythe Senior sent Gallifrey meant that all Headmaster Saxon could really do was rage and lecture and growl while Ian kicked up his heels and planned his next great escapade.

It was that boredom that had him wandering into the Theatre building one afternoon. He was planning on burning a life-sized effigy of Saxon at sundown on top of the Astronomy building and he was in great need of supplies. Donna Noble was the head of the Theatre department and the only adult on campus who treated him like a human as opposed to a menace to society. She tended to look the other way when he collected a bit of this or that and when costumes showed up in unexpected places always claimed complete innocence.

It was a pleasant afternoon in late September, the sort of weather that made him wish it was next year already and he could finally be free of stuffy institutions of learning and be on his way to the rest of life. The rest of his life in this case meant traveling wherever he wanted with the frankly copious amounts of money that aforementioned Ian Smythe Senior had promised him if he would just stay at school and not come home on breaks. Which he hadn't, not since his mother had died five years prior and he was no interest in breaking the agreement with his father.

He kicked up his heels as he walked, enjoying the afternoon sun. The Theatre building was located on the far corner of campus, shoved between History building and the woods and he gave the woods a lingering look as he pushed open the door. He was of half a mind to scamper off to Wilf's, but the memory of his mission made him enter the chilly building with a sigh.

He was in no hurry to be on his way - Professor Finch had no use for him and he had nothing pressing till dinner - and so he leaned against the back wall and watched the action on stage with great interest. He'd never had any great talent for the stage (no matter what some of his Professors might have to say about that - an impromptu recital of "Give me Liberty or Give me Death" in the midst of a History test did not an actor make), but it was always fun for a few laughs.

His attention was arrested by the girl - young woman really - who was currently speaking in a dreadful accent on stage. She was blonde, gorgeous, and not someone he knew - which was odd - and so he meandered further up the aisle to where he could plop down behind Donna's seat and read her notes. 

Even with his lack of theatre knowledge he could tell that Rose was really good. Every eye was on her as she read her lines and John found himself actually curious about the plot, something he had never cared about before. He heaved a sigh of disappointment when she had finished speaking her part, already trying to work out when he could cross paths with her again when he heard Donna announce that they needed someone to read for the part of Higgins, whoever that was. His hand went up without consulting his brain first but Donna's raised eyebrows was enough to propel him out of his seat, swiping a copy of the script on the way.

The cover read 'My Fair Lady' and he vaguely wondered what on earth he was getting himself into, but he figured that there was no way he was getting the part anyway and it would be a great lark to brag about later. His natural flair for the dramatic - and years of coming up with elaborate excuses for his pranks - kicked in and he read some lines about how to teach someone to speak correctly with great enjoyment. Afterwards he barely heard Donna announce something about results being posted because he was finally saying hello to Rose and that's all he really wanted. (Rose was more impressed by his impromptu tryout than she let on, he was sure of it.)

Standing in the canteen the next day at lunch, Ian was congratulated by no less than six people and he narrowed his eyes across the crowded room at where Donna sat with a very innocent expression on her face. She was unmoved by his pleadings and told him he'd better be in the Theatre Building at 2:00 sharp every afternoon or she would hunt his sorry arse down (and she knew six years of blackmail on him lest he forget). He left the canteen feeling very betrayed and not at all hungry for his heaping plate of chips, determined that a good prank would help him feel better.

Ian showed up to the Theatre Building at 2:05 the following afternoon with the reminder of Professor Sneed's pants on the roof of the Science Building buoying his steps and helping him to ignore the look of death Donna gave him. Unfortunately that was the last bright spot for the afternoon because he soon discovered that 'My Fair Lady' was a musical and he had seven songs to sing in front of all of his peers in two months time. It wasn't like he couldn't sing (though he wasn't sure if the hearty renditions of 'Toxic' that his shower heard quite counted), but singing in front of an audience ranked right up there behind showing up to class naked in his nightmares.

The other fantastic moment happened when he discovered that Jack bloody Harkness - Gallifrey's notorious sixteen-year-old Playboy - was playing the part of Freddy - Higgins' rival for Rose's character's love. Ian had always shared a certain amount of camaraderie with Jack - it was hard not to like the only other student the Professors truly detested - but there was a leering look in Jack's eyes every time they were fixed on Rose that Ian heartily disliked. In fact it was the only thing that kept Ian from flinging himself to his knees before Donna and begging her to let him quit (though he had a sinking feeling he knew how that would end). By the end of the first day's practice Ian hated Theatre more fully than he had ever despised anything in his life.

The next thing Ian discovered was that the Theatre geeks apparently now considered him as one of their own and he had one or more around him at all times, not to mention the continual slew of invitations to hang out and discuss such scintillating topics as "What did George Bernard Shaw intend for Pygmalion to signify" and "Higgins or Freddy: The One True Love." Frankly Ian didn't care about anything except for how many times he could catch Rose's eye during rehearsals and how on earth he was going to maintain his reputation as Gallifrey's resident prankster amidst the sheer quantity of play practices he was expected to attend.

It wasn't until two weeks into practices (and by then he was almost used to ignoring the ribbing that came from his friends who seemed to have made it their life mission to attend every practice and offer a running commentary - Donna never seemed to notice such a thing was happening) that a miracle occurred. He was just leaving rehearsal and wondering if he had enough energy to sneak into town when Rose called his name. He froze in shock, Rose had thus far constrained her conversations to him to the bounds of how best to deliver a certain line (and he had a feeling she had seen through his bullshit responses). He wasn't eager to discuss the ins and outs of the embassy ball scene they had just finished - dancing on stage was not his calling in life, but any excuse to talk to her was good in his book.

Ian was shocked when she graced him with a smile and an inquiry as to his destination. He quickly tried to determine whether or not she was the type of girl who would be okay with breaking curfew and then decided he didn't care; this was who he really was and eventually she would have to figure that out if he wanted any chance with her at all. He was not expecting her eyes to light up at the idea of sneaking off campus to his favorite ask-no-questions pub and he felt his estimation of her reach record highs even as he gave her instructions to meet him behind the Astronomy Tower at dusk.

He was not really expecting her to show up and was heartened when she was already there - dressed in a sensible pair of shoes and Levis - when he arrived. They set off without talking and he was impressed when she moved as quietly as he did through the woods. It wasn't until they reached a safe distance that they started in on hesitant conversation, gradually gaining boldness as they compared likes and dislikes and made fun of the various Professors.

Wilf, the bartender at the tiny hole-in-the-wall pub, knew him from years of sneaking off campus and slipped them a couple of beers before shooing them on their way. Ian didn't like the wink Wilf directed at him as the old man kissed Rose's hand, but soon relaxed when she happily followed him to his favorite overlook point. It was a peaceful spot, far enough from Gallifrey to give the illusion that he had escaped, with a panoramic view of the countryside. They settled in side by side, swapping stories of their lives and discussing such important topics as 'How Chips Ought to Be Eaten' and 'Is Time Travel Really Possible' and 'The Existence of Werewolves in the 21st Century.' By the time they made it back to Gallifrey it was almost two am and Ian escorted Rose all the way to the girl's dorms to make sure that they didn't run into any enterprising young prefects. The kiss she pressed to his cheek was unexpectedly delightful.

Ian was headed to his dorm when he was waylaid by Jack - who was not a prefect, but whose nocturnal habits were well-known. Jack was obviously irritated by something and made it known in the form of a few expertly thrown punches. Ian hadn't spent his years dodging trouble to be taken down by Jack and he got in a few swings of his own and before long both boys were tussling on the ground. The fight ended as swiftly as it began when Ian pinned Jack and demanded to know what that had been all about.

Jack shoved Ian off of his chest and sat up, nursing his jaw as he grumpily explained that he was the one who was the better actor and it was only fair that he get the girl in real life. After all, he pointed out, Ian hadn't even wanted to do the play in the first place. Ian couldn't argue with that bit, but he was adamant that initial motivations or not, he was obviously the better choice for Rose. He underlined his case with a pointed sniff at Jack's collar which smelled distinctly of French perfume of the sort that Reinette Poisson preferred. Jack blushed and haughtily informed Ian that Rose could convince him to be the marrying kind. Ian barely resisted punching him again and instead suggested that they both present their cases over the remaining month of rehearsals and let Rose decide. Jack was less than thrilled by this idea, but grudgingly shook on it.

After that Ian stepped up his game. He was determined that no matter how up in the air the play ended, he was going to win Rose's affections. Unfortunately he had little experience in wooing girls - his only exploits involved besting Harriet Jones at fencing and accidentally taking Romana to the seventh form dance (he still had no idea how that happened) - and Jack had a great deal of practice. The sheer amount of flowers that were delivered to Rose at various times of the day (not to mention the poems Jack recited in the canteen or the impromptu performances of Freddy's rendition of 'On the Street Where You Live') nearly made Ian give up before he'd really started.

Ian did manage to convince Rose to accompany him back to Wilf's pub once a week and they enjoyed a beer while sitting at a picnic table with the old man. Wilf was actually great company, regaling them with stories of his days in the war and acting interested in their trials from school. He always had a smile for Rose, kissing her hand and sneaking her an extra beer, and only laughed when Ian accused him of playing favorites. After Wilf had to go back to work, Ian and Rose would head back up to the overlook. It was only up there that Ian felt like he could breathe again and forget about his silly wager with Jack. And every night when Ian dropped Rose off at the dorms (keeping one eye out for prefects or Jack), Rose would kiss his cheek.

He knew that Jack was also taking Rose out for private dates - he'd caught sight of Jack wheedling picnic supplies out of the cooks - but he tried not to worry about that too much. The only thing that saw him though the dark times was the remembrance of the light in Rose's eye when she had reached kissed his cheek or her relaxed expression at the overlook. The rest of his plans were a little less dramatic than Jack's - he wasn't about to sing in front of everyone a second before he had to - but he did show up to walk Rose to class or to carry her books. He even offered to run lines with her and he started to show up to all the Theatre club meetings, enduring the boring topics for the pleasure of Rose's company. It didn't seem like Rose preferred his company to Jack's, but he was slightly gratified that it also didn't appear she preferred Jack's to his. He was determined to appreciate the small victories.

Meanwhile, rehearsals were going better than he had ever believed they could have. He definitely wasn't planning a future on the stage, but the ins and outs of it were more fun than he had anticipated. He actually enjoyed the little inside jokes and his fellow performers turned out to be more decent than he had realized. It wasn't like he had ever lacked for companionship in his years at Gallifrey, but his other friends had always been around for the entertainment he could provide and the Theatre folks seemed to genuinely enjoy him for who he was. Occasionally he was sorry that he had waited until his final year to meet them, but he quickly disregarded that thought; no use wasting time on regrets.

Before he knew it, it was the weekend before the performances. He was determined to get one more date in with Rose and he was on his way to find her and invite her back to Wilf's when he rounded a corner to find her glaring at a very petrified looking Jack. Ian folded his arms to enjoy the view, but then Rose caught sight of him and demanded his presence also. He suddenly had a sinking feeling about where this was going and when he met Jack's gaze, he knew he was right. Sure enough Rose proceeded to ream them out about "stupid wagers" and "no manners" and "ought to report their disgraceful actions." The two boys could do nothing but listen as she ranted at them, finally turning them loose with a "lucky for you you're main characters in the play otherwise..." and the implied threat to their manhood sent both boys fleeing.

Ian and Jack didn't stop until they were clear on the other end of the campus, cowering behind the Administration Building. Once Jack caught his breath he started laughing, practically rolling on the ground in between his howls of glee and Ian stared at him in shock. Humor was not at all how he was feeling in the aftermath of Rose Tyler's wrath. Leaving his co-conspirator still laughing, Ian took off through the woods headed for Wilf's.

He poured out the whole story into Wilf's sympathetic ear, starting from the very first day when he had tried out on the spur of the moment and ending with Rose's obvious anger. Wilf listened to the whole thing without interruptions, nodding and humming in all the right places. When Ian had finally worn himself out, Wilf was silent for a time, gazing into the distance. Eventually he looked up and asked if Ian was still serious about winning Rose's hand. Ian stared at him, of course he was! Wilf shoved back his chair and patted Ian on the shoulder and asked him if he didn't have some last-minute rehearsals to get to. Ian left in bewilderment, wondering if Wilf had perhaps partaken of too much of his own merchandise.

It wasn't until the following evening when he was standing on the stage about to utter his first line before a full house that he had a dim idea of what Wilf had meant. There was a decidedly chilly atmosphere backstage and Donna kept glaring at him and Jack (he had a sinking feeling she knew every detail of what had occurred), but Ian was determined to give the performance his all. Rose's frigid look had thawed a bit by the time they had taken their final bow and he knew it wasn't a full victory, but it was a start.

There were five performances - one for every night of the week - and each evening Rose smiled at him a bit more and their dynamic on stage grew stronger. He was surprised by how much fun he was having - forgetting the audience and focusing only on the give and take between Higgins and Eliza, catching Rose's eye and adding his own flair to certain lines. He was less thrilled with the fact that Jack was also managing to worm his way back into Rose's good graces and it only improved his own focus. There was hardly time to speak to Rose outside of the performances and hurried words about last-minute directions and "oh the gramophone is suddenly on stage right, do you know why?" but Ian could communicate via his performance and he threw his heart and soul into every moment he was on stage.

Finally it was over. The last line, the last bow, the last final call, the bouquet was presented to Donna and the cast was laying about the basement of the Theatre building in various stages of drunkness - thanks to Ian and Wilf. Ian was skirting the edges, unsure about his place now that everything was done. Ianto and Martha finally managed to corner him, engaging him in conversation about a possible camping trip to celebrate graduation, and he tried to concentrate on what they were saying as opposed to the fact that Jack and Rose were deep in conversation.

Ian lost track of Rose to answer Ianto's question about the best place to set up tents and was just trying to figure out how to make his exit to go drink his weight in misery, when he felt a hand slip in his. He looked down in surprise to see Rose standing there, a shy smile on her face as she tugged him towards the door. He followed her out of the building, mind whirring with questions about why and how. She seemed in no hurry to talk as she led him into the woods.

It didn't take him long to realize they were headed to their overlook (and it surprised him how he had started to refer to it as theirs when it had been his for so long). She did not deign to answer his questions as they walked and he soon took the hint, settling for enjoying the feel of her hand in his and the peacefulness of the night. When they arrived she settled on the ground, encouraging him to wrap his arm around her and leaning her head against his shoulder (it didn't take much encouragement). Only once they were situated did she finally start speaking, telling him that she was still unhappy with the way he and Jack had handled things but that she had spoken to Wilf and he explained things.

Ian was certain he didn't want to know exactly what Wilf had explained, content that whatever he had said it had led Rose to be here with him instead of with Jack. Rose went on to say something about how glad she was that he had decided to try out and how he should have expressed his interest ages ago, but then she was twisting around and pressing her lips to his and he forgot everything that wasn't the taste and feel of Rose pressed against him. A long time later when he remembered that he needed to breathe and how to form words, he asked Rose if she maybe, she didn't have to, but if she wanted to perhaps go out with him? She answered him with another kiss and he figured that was a good answer. After all he firmly believed that Higgins was Eliza's true love and, apparently, so did Rose.


End file.
